Heart issues
 

Anyone else have heart issues? I have very low pulse (50's, drops to 40's at rest), normal ekg (12 second test which i dont understand how they ca tell anything in 12 seconds!) normal/low blood pressure but there are many times when my heart feels as if it is pounding, not fast, more like it is working really hard, straining I have appt with cardio scheduled but just wondering if anyone else has similar issue.

My GP suspects I have carotid sinus hypersensitivity, which I understand can be a complication of MG. I have had a lot of cardiac investigations and the most recent 24hr ECG showed a very wide ranging heart beat (38-186). I have had times when my blood pressure has shot up to 199/169 just while I was lying down. It was very scary feeling and I have no adequate explanation for what that was. I get palpitations lying flat and if I sit without my feet raised, which I think must be to do with the CSH. My only other thought is that obviously if you are having breathing problems the BP will rise to compensate. Hope this helps!

Indeed! .....nothing serious...

Systolic heart murmur since birth which I can actually hear at times with my arm closing off my right ear and with the left ear pressed into my pillow. Sounds like a little hamster with asthma is stuck in there!!!! Had many check ups as a child. During my ME period I had quite a lot of severe othostatic intolerance episodes and variable beats per minute also as low as 40. Heart has periods of ´shivering´. I have the pounding you describe with: food intolerances…. after meals with sugar/wheat….. with stages of hypoglycemia….. and also with medications including Mestinon. Otherwise it´s just me and my little hamster friend :)

I have had fast heart rate since this all started (used to be resting in the 60's, and then it was resting 120's to 140's when this began)... I do have these other periods where I suddenly feel funny and it's in the 40s .. I also have palpitations , more when this started, better now, as is my heart rate.. but the palpitations seem worse when i'm lying on my left side! :?//

Steph, There are a lot of things that can make your pulse change and it doesn't always mean it's "heart" related.

Do you know what your "normal" heart rate is? Do you know exactly when it started going into bradycardia (pulse lower than 60)? Have you kept a journal of what's going on and when?

I can't remember if you started Prednisone or not. Pred can lower a heart rate. Being overhydrated can too.

If it isn't your normal, always check with your primary doctor for a look see. Checking your chemistry (electrolytes, kidney and liver function, albumin, etc.) is a very reasonable thing to do.

wild_cat, That is a very dangerous situation, having such wide swings. I would make sure that they don't assume anything and check out all basic body functions. The endocrine system can cause issues with heart rate too! It might be a good idea to see an endocrinologist to rule out any other condition.

Anacrusis, Have they determined the CAUSE of your murmur? I imagine you've had an echocardiogram. Have you had one recently, as murmurs can change over the years?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK345/

Due to your clot issues, bny, you may want to get an echocardiogram too. Lying on your left side puts more pressure on the left side of the heart. Most people's muscles get weaker when they sleep and an MGers can get much weaker. It's always a good idea to check out for sure what's going on with the heart because we only have one.

I don't have any heart issues, per se. When I take Pred, I get pretty bad bradycardia.

Anything new or different is worth seeing your primary doctor - and a specialist - about. I hope you'll get it figured out, Steph.

Annie

Thanks Annie, about 4 years ago. No I´m not used to anyone looking for a CAUSE.
What they were trying to establish at the ultrasound was its location and they didn´t find that either - it was obscured by something or other in the last place possible. But at least determining its sound and knowing which locations it wasn´t in meant they were happy to discharge me with a benign systolic murmur....thanks for checking :)

[QUOTE=AnnieB3;930479]

wild_cat, That is a very dangerous situation, having such wide swings. I would make sure that they don't assume anything and check out all basic body functions. The endocrine system can cause issues with heart rate too! It might be a good idea to see an endocrinologist to rule out any other condition.

Thanks for your concern, Annie. At present I'm still having trouble getting anybody to take me seriously on this, despite the objective readings. The cardiologist suggested my wide heart range is due to an exceptional level of core fitness, which stumps me because I haven't been able to any form of cardiovascular exercise for three years. Since my GP voiced concerns about MG and CSH my case has been passed onto a more 'senior' GP who reassures me my symptoms are all a figment of my imagination. So, I will see about asking about this - wish me luck! :)

Annie
Thanks for the thorough and informative response. I do take prednisone for almost 3 months now. I think the lower 40/50's pulse did start after prednisone started. Also think the hard pounding issue did start after as well but that is what is so concerning to me...feels as if my heart is working really hard

I didnt know it was possible to be overhydrated. I drink a lot of water, partly because i always have and partly because it does help somewhat in keeping my emotional overeating in check (MG has done nothing to weaken my ability to overeat!)